Green Chilies – 2 meals

Roasting Green Chili peppers makes me so happy. I love fresh crunchy chili peppers, but when you roast them they transform into something totally different. They loose that bright fresh garden taste. The peppers changes into a more savory flavor profile with a slow mellow buttery heat, and a soft melting texture. It is also one of my favorite smells in the kitchen, right up there with brownies, and fresh baked bread. When I smell roasting chilies I know I made a great decision.

I bought a basket of Anaheim peppers at the market for $3 bucks. Two dishes immediately popped into my head.

Ojeda’s beef and cheese chili relleno topped with ranchero sauce.

One of my very favorite cheese burgers, my green chili cheese burger.

I wanted to try to make a healthy version of chili rellenos that was not fried and it worked great. And my green chili cheeseburger just keeps getting better every time I make them, it is seriously crazy!

Roasting Green Chilies

15-20 Anaheim peppers, or new Mexico Hatch Chilies, make sure they are firm and the skin is shiny, but not waxy.

Foil

baking sheet

1 large plastic bag, or 1 Ziploc gallon bag.

Position oven rack to the top shelf, and turn on the broiler. Wash peppers. Cover baking sheet with enough foil to fold the peppers up after they have cooked. Place in oven keep and eye on them checking every 2 minutes. When they skin of the pepper is blistered, dark brown and black remove the pan from the oven and flip the peppers over. Place back into oven until the uncooked side is blistered, dark brown and black. Remove pan from oven and fold the foil around the peppers and place into the plastic bag and seal bag. Wait 10 minutes and remove foil to a cutting board.

2 preps for roasted green chilies:1. For the Rellenos: The skin of the pepper will be very loose, gently peel off with your fingers taking care not to damage the structural integrity of the pepper. Make length wise slit into pepper going through just one side wall of the chili. Start in the middle and work up then work down. If you can easily remove any of the seeds without tearing the pepper up then go for it, but if they are stubborn don’t worry about it just leave them in there.2. For the burger and the normal way that you would do it for general use. The skin of the pepper will be very loose, gently peel off with your fingers. Slice the top off right under the cap. Then slice down pepper length wise along one wall to fillet the pepper open. Using your knife scrape the seed off starting at the bottom of the chili and work toward the cap end and push the seed off your cutting board so they don’t stick to anything and everything on your board. Then you will be left with fillets like in the picture. I usually taste a thin strip of each pepper fillet to rank the hotness and I will have a mild pile and a hot pile because you can never be 100% certain of the heat. It ranges from very mild to pretty freaking hot. They will keep great in the freezer or you can keep them in the fridge for about 1 week.

Easy Chili Rellenos

7-8 Green Chilies prepped Relleno style (above)

1/3 lb grass feed ground beef

1/2 small onion, diced

1/4 red bell pepper (optional)

1 small jalapeno, minced

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Black pepper

2 cups shredded cheese, I like cheap muenster, but you could use cheddar for sure.

In a skillet on medium high, cook beef with onions, bell pepper, and jalapeno. Break up the beef as much as you can while it cooks. When meat is cooked through add the spices with salt and pepper to taste. Then add enough water to cover the mixture and boil down stirring occasionally until the water has evaporated, break up any meat chunks. Remove from heat and let it cool down. When cool, mix in a bowl the meat mix and the grated cheese. Use your hand to gently stuff the peppers with the meat and cheese mixture. Don’t put so much filling in that it would cause an over flow when baked. When you have it stuffed gently squeeze the pepper to evenly distribute the filling and close the slit in the pepper. Refrigerate over night so that they can firm up.

The next day. Cook your Ranchero sauce and bake the peppers.

Ranchero Sauce:

1 large Tomato chopped

1/2 small onion chopped

1 small jalapeno chopped

1 clove of garlic minced

1 green chili fillet chopped

1 table spoon olive oil

1 cup of chicken broth

Salt to taste

In a skillet on medium high heat oil then add all the veggies. Cook until it starts to brown then add chicken stock and reduce temp to medium and boil down till it is the consistency has thickened to a nice sauce texture. Using a potato masher to break down the veggies works great to thicken sauce.

Baking the Chilies:
Position rack to the middle. Heat oven to 350. Put chilies from the fridge onto a baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Place dish in the oven and cook for 15-25 minutes. When the cheese is is melt-y they are done.

Ready to Roast

Seal peppers in a bag for 10 minutes

Relleno Style Prep

Green Chili Fillets

Meat mix for Rellenos

Stuffed peppers

Ranchero Sauce

Homemade relleno is more bueno

When they come out of the oven. Put the chilies on your plate and pour over the some ranchero sauce and enjoy.

Muenster cheese, a little goes a long way because this stuff melts great.

White bread hamburger buns (whole foods has the best buttermilk buns)

In a skillet on medium high get pan very hot and place hamburger patties in and cover skillet with a lid or a baking sheet or a big metal bowl. In about 3 minutes flip, top the cooked side with green chilies and the cheese and cover, cook 3 more minutes or to your desired done-ness. I like mine cooked medium. You can toast your hamburger buns in the skillet or in the toaster. I like a little mayo on both sides and my then the cheese green chili patty and that is it. It is really really an amazing flavor and texture combo.

Vegetarian Options: Uses a sauteed portabello mushroom or a black been patty instead of the beef patty.

Boo yah! I roasted a bazillion(not really) anaheims from fresh out my own garden last night – can’t get more local than that! It made enough that I set aside 8 of the fillets in the best shape for doing rellenos and had enough peppers left to chop up for 8 burgers! Suh-weeeeet :9